Tourist information of Buenos Aires: History

Buenos Aires was founded twice. The first was by the Spanish Don Pedro de Mendoza in the year 1536 and it was called Santa Maria del Buen Ayre. It is believed that the place of the foundation was the la Vuelta de Rocha ( La Boca), although some people claim that possibly, it was in Lezama Park (San Telmo), place that could be reached by the river at that time. The city was abandoned and scorched by the Indians in 1541.

Its second and final foundation dates back to 1580 by Juan de Garay, who called it the Holy Trinity. This time, it took place on higher grounds in the vicinity of the Plaza de Mayo.

Finally, the city was called directly Buenos Aires, and the natives of the city porteños.

Buenos Aires had little development until in 1776 it was named the capital of the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata. Since then, it began to evolve rapidly due to the push of the trade that benefited it, developing economic and culturally as well. The arrival of the liberal ideas and basically the occupation of Spain by the Napoleonic army, unleashed in 1810 the May Revolution which had the epicenter at the City Council of Buenos Aires. The independence of Argentina was proclaimed in 1816 in Tucuman.

In 1860 Buenos Aires began underwent its definite organization, growing under the influence of the European immigration and the displacement of the local rural population, and in 1880 it was declared the Federal Capital of Argentina. After the reform of the Argentine Constitution in 1994, the city could have its own Constitution and an autonomous government chosen through direct election.

In 1996, elections were held and the head of City Government and the legislators who created the Constitution of the City were elected. During the twentieth century, a large population growth ranked it among the world’s largest cities. This was not just due to the demographic growth but also due to the artistic, cultural and economic developments which constantly take place here. The capital, known as Autonomous City of the Government of Buenos Aires, is surrounded by the province of Buenos Aires and Rio de la Plata, and is divided into 48 districts.